Fear of Flying
by Simone Louise Leggett
Summary: Ever since Chuckie can remember, he and levels of elevation have not gotten along. And he assumes that they never will. One-shot.


Disclaimer: The original characters that appear in this one-shot belong to me. The characters that are from the Rugrats/All Grown Up! franchise do not.

Fear of Flying

If Chuckie Finster was to make a list of the things that frighten him the most, this would be up there; heights. Ever since he can remember, he and levels of elevation have not gotten along very well. And he assumes that they never will.

"Sir, are you getting on or not?"

With his eyes tightly closed, Chuckie heavily exhales. _"This wasn't a very good idea,"_ he thinks, barely able to hear his thoughts as his heart hammers violently against his ribcage in his ears. His chest starts to heave unevenly and a coat of sweat makes his shirt stick uncomfortably to his back.

The reaction his body gives to the mere _thought_ of doing what he is about to do is still enough for him to conclude that this is a bad idea.

The feel of a hand intertwined with his left, and the light squeeze against it, causes him to crack his eyes open. "I won't make you do this if you don't-" Susie whispers, her words stopping when the redhead shakes his head in the negative. "I want to do it," he states stubbornly, his voice weak. Chuckie takes his eyes off of Susie, his dark eyes falling on the mechanism in front of them instead. A ferris wheel. The bright, multi-colored lights glare against his glasses, flickering in time with one another and shines down on the duo. His gray eyes narrow in response of the lights harshness.

"You're holding up the line," The ride attendant states, voicing his annoyance towards the nervous man.

Chuckie can feel his girlfriend tense against him and almost swears that he hears her growl. "Look," Susie states, her jaw squaring before taking a few moments to reign in her anger. She closes her eyes and sighs. "Just give him a second, alright?" she asks her voice still harsh. The attendant nods, swallowing audibly. "Th-there's no rush. Take your time,"

It takes a minute or two for Chuckie to push down his fear and before he knows it, he and Susie are safely buckled into their cart. The contraption utters a painful, low sounding, metallic groan when the ride attendant starts the machine. And the fear hits him, returning tenfold.

Susie offers Chuckie a smile when his hand closes around hers gently, needing to reassure himself that she's there. And she understands what he needs, knows what to do. She always knows how to proceed when it comes to him, in any situation, and vice versa. So it doesn't surprise the redhead at all when Susie, wordlessly, places his arm around her shoulders and leans into his side. In fact he simply smiles, his eyes still shut because the fear's increasing steadily as he feels the ferris wheel continue to move. That is, until it isn't anymore. The machine groans, as if exhausted, and then it stops. Completely.

"Please tell me the ride is over," Chuckie mutters, feeling his girlfriend's arm drape across his stomach.

"Do you trust me, Chuckie?" Susie asks gently, her breath hot against his ear.

Somehow he knew that this would happen. Susie's one of the few people that's able to help him face his fears. And oddly, he loves that she can. It's one of the many things that he loves about her.

"Always," He replies with a nod, dreading what he knows he's about to do next. He answers Susie's unspoken question and slowly opens his eyes. The fear is still there, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up but it's not as strong as it was when the ride began. "Are you okay?" she asks after the redhead's arm tightens its hold around her shoulders. Chuckie nods, looking over the edge of the fairgrounds. He inhales deeply, a small sense of calm gently washing over him. "It's beautiful up here," he breathes out, watching the stars above them twinkle their welcome. "It is," Susie agrees, following his gaze.

"Is that-" he pauses, surprise taking his voice as a source of light streaks across the night's dark canvas. "Quick, make a wish!" Susie exclaims pointing, her finger following the shooting star. A smile dancing on his lips, Chuckie closes his eyes and does so. "What did you wish for?" he questions afterwards, the night sky dimming a little when the star passes.

"I'm not supposed to tell or else it won't come true." She laughs.

"Thank you," he says after a beat, laying his eyes to the woman in his arms. "You know, for doing this with me." She smiles, her brown eyes meeting his gray ones. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

The cart lurches unexpectedly, another inhumane sound emitting from the contraption. It begins to move, the end of the ride nearing.

"I'm right here," Susie whispers, her tone soothing as she burrows deeper into Chuckie's arms.

The cart rocks slightly and the hinges quietly squeak as the ferris wheel makes its final stop. The bright lights from the ferris wheel continue to flicker, momentarily dancing against Chuckie's glasses lenses. A sigh of relief emits into the air as he untangles himself from the safety belt before placing his feet firmly on the metal stage.

"You ready?" The redhead smiles softly in response to his girlfriend's question before silently taking her outstretched hand into his. "Always,"

Chuckie Finster is merely human. He is a man with reasonable fears, firm in his belief that he has no more than he can handle. He knows, and secretly accepts, that his relationship with levels of elevation may never be perfect. He feels that he can say that he tried. And right now, that's more than enough for him.

* * *

Author's Notes: this is just something that I wrote long ago and just never posted until now. Let me know what you think.


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